The Sandy River Railroad was a 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge railway built to serve the towns of Strong and Phillips in the Sandy River valley upstream of Farmington.

In 1893, the Sandy River Railroad purchased a larger 2-6-0 mogul locomotive to carry bridge traffic from the connecting F&M and P&R railroads, and purchased a baggage-RPO car for the Farmington-Rangeley passenger trains it operated jointly with the P&R.

It was the only 2 ft (610 mm) gauge parlor car in the United States.

Seating in the combination was designated a smoking car for passengers who wished to use tobacco.

The Sandy River Railroad began building its own freight cars in the Phillips shop in 1902.

It was the first 2 ft (610 mm) gauge 2-6-2 locomotive in Maine, and was intended to pull the long trainloads of lumber being delivered to the Sandy River from the large sawmills in Bigelow on the F&M and Madrid Junction on the P&R.